Worm Factory 360 [Giveaway]

Are you looking for a perfect gift for your green friends? Have you always wanted to get into composting? A Worm Factory is a great option for composting outdoors or indoors year round! Enter below for a chance to win a composting worm bin system.

Hosted by: The Cheshire Cat's Looking Glass

Co-hosted by: Michigan Savings and More & Tales From A Southern Mom

Sponsored by: Earth Easy

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Garden: A Surprise Visitor or Ten!

I wanted to post monthly garden updates, but time has gotten away from me and the garden is a bit overgrown. I have had this problem for a few years. I carefully plan what goes into each location, practicing the square foot gardening method, loosely. Somehow, within a few months, plants starts to crowd each other.

This year, I left a path so that I could get to the back of the garden cage. The seeds in the compost that my husband added decided to sprout and bless us with about 10 tomato plants. The tomato plants are growing in random spots: at the entrance, in the middle of the carrot rows, and of course, in the path that I left for myself.

Nonetheless, I am thrilled! I have avoided planting tomatoes in the garden because of the black walnut tree right beside the garden. The black walnut tree gives off a chemical that is toxic to some plants, including tomatoes. When I discovered tomato seedlings in the garden, I thought it would be a great experiment to see if tomatoes would actually grow.

Today, there are about 10+ tomatoes, 4 different varieties, growing on about 6 plants that have grown enough to put out blossoms. I have identified them as heirloom tomatoes that we received from last year's organic CSA and some seeds from our homegrown tomatoes.

Here are some photos of the garden cage (lots of critters around here) and the herb garden that desperately needs to be harvested. Also, excuse the wilted plants, it was a hot day and I had not watered yet.

>> Do you have a garden?? How is it doing this year??
 

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WooBamboo Eco-Friendly Bamboo Toothbrush [Review]

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

People who want to have an eco-friendly oral care routine now have more and more options for sustainable products. In a world of plastic products everywhere, sustainable options like wood are popping up everywhere. No longer do you have to purchase, use and throw away those pesky plastic brushes. Sustainable and affordable options are readily available. WooBamboo offers an eco-friendly alternative to the standard plastic toothbrush with a bamboo handled toothbrush.

WooBamboo Eco Bamboo Toothbrush       
Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Organically grown
Sustainable and biodegradable
Ergonomic shape

Bamboo has become very prominent in the eco-friendly world because of its sustainable properties. Bamboo is biodegradable, antimicrobial, durable and grows quickly. WooBamboo uses bamboo that has been organically grown. The WooBamboo eco toothbrushes have a bamboo handle and Dupont Tynex nylon bristles. The bristles are not biodegradable. Since the bristles do not make up a big surface area of the toothbrush, I would feel comfortable throwing the WooBamboo eco toothbrush in my compost pile. The bamboo would decompose and the bristles would spread throughout. I can also recycled the bristles.

The nylon bristles are held in place through pressure, so one or two might come lose with time. I love that Woo Bamboo does not use glue to hold the bristles in place. The bristles are available in Medium, Soft, and Super Soft. The handles are available in Standard and Slim sizes.

I have been using the Slim handle with Soft bristles to brush the baby's teeth at the end of each day. The bristles are soft enough for his sensitive gums and new teeth. I was afraid that he would cry when I brushed his gums and teeth, but he liked the feeling. Or, maybe he just liked being able to chew on the toothbrush head. Since babies loves to chew on everything, WooBamboo eco toothbrushes are perfect for the naturally conscious parent. An organic bamboo handled toothbrush is a much safer alternative to a plastic handled toothbrush.

If you are looking for an eco-friendly oral care routine, give WooBamboo eco bamboo toothbrushes a try. The sustainability, biodegradability, and comfort of using a bamboo handled toothbrush will be good for your mouth and for the environment.

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. All opinions are my own.

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How To Green Your Husband [#CTWW]

This week's challenge:

This week invite someone to join you in a green activity. Need some ideas? Invite a friend to go for a walk ... and perhaps pick up litter as you go. Ask a family member to help you plan and cook a meatless meal. Swap clothes, tools, books, etc., with a neighbor. Start a "green club" with your friends and meet occasionally to share green tips and ideas. Host an Eco-friendly cleaning party at a friend's home. Do laundry together ... or join forces to rake up leaves. Be creative and have fun. The idea, here, is to share an experience so that a green activity which you care about will become important to someone else as well.

The more I thought about this week's challenge, the more stumped I became. I was looking for a grandiose activity with a friend or family member. I wanted to make a big impact this time. And then I realized, that Change the World Wednesday Challenges are not about making a big impact. Yes, we would all love it if we made a big impact each time, but I feel this group of greenies is more about small changes by many people, which add up to big changes over time. I took a step back and asked my husband for his thoughts as we drove to Whole Foods. 

Let me provide a little bit of a background. From some of my previous posts, you might know that my husband hasn't quite jumped on the eco-friendly bandwagon. Sometimes, he actively opposes my green efforts. He takes two sheets of paper towels, he throws something that can be composted in the trash, and he claims that he supports the plastic industry (when I want wooden toys for our baby). Most of the time, I think he does this because he feels like I am shoving eco-friendliness down his throat and mandating that things be done a certain way. Yes, I am a control freak! (LOL) Side note for myself: compromise more and he will also. Aside from these minor examples, my husband does a lot to reduce our impact on the environment. He cleans with all natural cleaners, asks which recycle bin something goes into, and even built me a garden cage a few years ago. 

Now, back to driving to Whole Foods. My husband thought about our weekend and listed a number of items that we did together. While I usually garden and take care of flower beds by myself, he helped me this weekend. While he was raking leaves, I came out with the baby and asked if he could help do a few quick things. He trimmed the peonies and placed in the compost bin, he helped pick a few carrots from the garden, and recommended some improvement to the garden for the next year. 

I reflected on these activities and realized that my husband has come a long way from gathering leaves into plastic (or paper) bags and setting out for trash pick up. We either compost the leaves, throw them over the back fence (lots of trees), or rake them to the end of the yard for leaf pick up. My lesson learned is that I need to ask him for help with garden stuff more often. Together, we can make a positive impact. 

I wonder if I could get him to give up some of the yard to expand my gardening....maybe I'll tackle this one next year!
  

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Wordless Wednesday: Rotten Fruit

I strive to be good about not wasting food, but sometimes life (and babies) get the best of us. Four organic nectarines and one homegrown Purple Cherokee tomato are going in the compost. :(

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Can You Recycle Receipts?

After many internal debates about whether receipts can be recycled and/or composted, I finally did some

research as more and more stores (even natural and organic stores) are starting to use thermal receipts. Plain paper receipts can be recycled and/or composted, but thermal receipts require a different process.

Question: Can you recycle/compost thermal receipts?

Answer: You should NEITHER recycle NOR compost thermal paper receipts. 

Thermal receipts may contain BPA or other potentially harmful chemicals. Therefore, you do not want to compost the receipts and transfer the chemicals to your garden and the fruits and vegetables that you grow. The receipts should be sealed well to prevent from blowing away to reduce the release of BPA into the environment (according to the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Rapid Research (PPRC)). Recycling receipts releases BPA into the water and into the finished recycled product, which further exposes people and the environment to BPA and other potentially harmful chemicals.

And...remember to wash your hands after handling receipts!

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When Your Baby Wakes You Up Early

...you can accomplish a lot between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM (with the help of your spouse, of course):

1. Feed baby
2. Clean clutter
3. Do one load of laundry
4. Start packing for visit to babushka and dedushka's (grandparents)
5. Compose a product review post
6. Read email
7. Enter a few giveaways
8. Take out compost
9. Put away dishes
10. Stuff and organize cloth diapers
11. Organize plastic recycling to take to Whole Foods
12. Run (because it feels awesome outside and the coffee did not help this morning)
13. Shower

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Wordless Wednesday: What Happened to the Yam?

I cannot say exactly how long the yams/sweet potatoes have been in hanging in a canvas bag in the basement, but I estimate at least 6 months. I finally decided to take a look at them. Two of out five were still usable. The other three, well....they were not rotten....they were rock hard! Out to the compost three go!

(petrified yam, usable yam)
  

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Garden: Planting in Progress

Because of other time commitments this year, I decided not to start anything from seed. The plan: buy plants and sew seeds (snow peas, spinach, carrots, radishes, sunflowers) directly in the ground. I still have a few plants to buy to fill out the space, including eggplant, basil, and whatever else inspires me.

Snow peas and spinach on the left. Peppers and chives on the right.

A transplant from the compost pile! :)

A few small apples on the way, if the apple blossoms were pollinated.

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Smiles For The People Bamboo Toothbrush [Review]

One of the first changes I made during my quest for all natural living was changing the toothpaste I use. However, I never realized how many eco-friendly and all natural options there are for teeth care. Despite the fact that I have gradually switched to more eco-friendly options for our body care products, we still use plastic toothbrushes. My husband uses the free plastic toothbrushes from the dentist and I use my electric toothbrush. Let me tell you about a better alternative to brushing your teeth with plastic. Smiles for the People bring you a biodegradable bamboo handled toothbrush for all of your eco-friendly teeth cleaning needs.

Original Adult Toothbrush         ($5.95)

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
100% biodegradable bamboo handle	Bristles are not biodegradable
Durable and long lasting
Recyclable and limited packaging
Ergonomic handle

One of my most favorite features of the Smiles for the People toothbrush is the bamboo handle. I love knowing that this toothbrush does not have a plastic handle. That means that I can compost the toothbrush once I am done using it. The handle is ergonomic and easy to hold. Even though the bristles look simple, they clean teeth just as well as your expensive disposable toothbrushes.

For each purchase of a Smiles for the People toothbrush, the company will donate one toothbrush to their cause. The relationships with their Giving Partners helps promote increased and better dental care throughout the world. You know that when you support Smiles for the People, you are supporting improved dental care for local and global communities.

The Original Adult Toothbrush might seem like a simple idea and a simple little implement for cleaning teeth, but the sustainability and the cause behind this purchase is truly amazing. If you are looking for a greener and more eco-friendly way to brush your teeth (and if you are reducing the amount of plastic that you buy), I recommend that you give Smiles for the People toothbrush a try.

Disclosure: I received the sample from the company in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. I am under no pressure to return the product to the company or to write this review. This product review is based on my personal experiences. This review is objective and completely honest.

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Garden: Spring Cleaning

Today is a gorgeous day outside. The sun is shinning and the temperature is warming up above 50 degrees. I believe some might call this a perfect day to start prepping the garden and flower beds for the spring and summer. I cut away most of the dried branches and foliage in the Fall, but there were still a few plants that needed a trimming. The compost piles and bin needed some dried material.

The exciting part about trimming in the Spring is that you can see what plants are starting to come up. I love walking around the yard and seeing all the little sprouts. First, this means that warmer weather is almost here. Second, it means that the plants survived the winter yet again (hehe, I have killed some plants in my gardening days). I cannot wait to start planning veggies in the garden in April.

Summer is just around the corner!

>> How do you prep your garden beds??
 

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Eco-Friendly Excitement: Compostable Plastic Cup?

During our last road trip, we discovered a fun little lunch place. The place serves some organic and some locally sourced foods and everything is compostable, including the food (without the oils), bowls, utensils, and plastic cups. I have not done much research on compostable plastic. I do know that something is added to the plastic to make it biodegradable. I saved the plastic cup to add to my compost bin and see just how it takes to decompose. I will keep you up to date!

>> Have you every tried to compost plastic? Were you successful or not?

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Is Composting in the Winter Possible?

Right now, I do NOT think so!

This morning, I layered with several wool sweaters, put on my big furry long leather coat with the hood on my head, and my rain boots. I told my husband that I was challenging my relatives from "deep Russia," as my dad likes to call the area where my grandma is from (farming and living off the land are the norm here). I started the trek to the compost area in the back right corner of our yard.

When I got to the compost bin and piles, they were covered in snow. I brushed the snow off the compost bin and tried to open it. The lid was frozen shut. Ok. Plan B! I can bury the food scraps in the compost piles likes I used to do. The compost bin is almost full anyways and the decomposition processes have stalled during this freezing weather.

Plan B had one challenge though - the almost-composted soil was frozen (it has been below freezing outside). I used the pitch fork to poke around until I found a soft spot that I could lift. These were the dried leaves that had not started to decompose yet. Perfect! I was able to find a few areas that I could use to bury the food scraps. Since we have a lot of critters in our neighborhood, burying the food scraps in the compost pile helps to keep them out. The smell is contained. Now, I hope the critters do not sense that an area was disturbed and start digging there for the food. Hehe.

>> What are your tips for composting in the winter??
 

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Cleaner Planet Soap Nuts [Giveaway]

If you have never heard of Soap Nuts, I encourage you to read my review post. I am hooked on these little laundry cleaning powerhouses. I have never felt my laundry be so soft. Plus, they are as green and as eco-friendly as can be. Use them, then compost them. No additives. No fillers. No perfume. All natural. Hypo-allergenic. For sensitive-skin. You can win a bag that will last through at least 80-100 loads below.

Please use the Rafflecopter entry form below. All entries will be verified. Duplicate and invalid entries will be deleted.

   
Giveaway

Soap Nuts, 80-100 load bag, 250g ($10.00 value)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Greener, Cleaner, Non-Toxic Laundry with Soap Nuts [Review]

As I have mentioned in previous posts, one of the hardest transitions to green living has been replacing cleaning products with ones that are non-toxic and actually work. I usually go through several, if not more, brands of eco-friendly and green products before I find one that even compares to the toxic brands. I have been eyeing soap nuts for quite some time. I have read many reviews on their effectiveness and have always wanted to try them. If you are looking to remove toxic chemicals from your house, Cleaner Planet Soap Nuts will leave you with greener and cleaner laundry!

Cleaner Planet Soap Nuts    (80-100 load bag, $10.00)

Rating: total green check marks out of 5.

The Good	The Not So Good
Cleans and soften clothes (no dryer sheets needed)	Bag with soap nuts can get "lost" among the clothes
Natural, non-toxic, green
No additives, no perfumes, no fillers
Compostable

What is a soap nut?
A soap nut is the shell of a berry that is dried in the sun and resembles a nut. Soap nuts have some of the highest concentration of saponin, which breaks the water surface tension and lifts the dirt of the fabric. Soap nuts also soften your fabric, so there is no need for dryer sheets.

Instructions:
Place 4-6 whole shells (8-10 halves) in the muslin drawstring bag, close the bag securely, and toss the bag in the drum of the washing machine as the water is filling, before your clothes, just as you would add any other laundry detergent. The same 4-6 shells can be used up to 8 times in cold water washes and up to 4 times in hot water washes. For cold water washes, it is recommended to soak the shells in water for 5-10 minutes.

My Experience:
Now that you know a little bit about soap nuts and how to use them, let me tell you about my experience. My husband does the laundry 95% of the time. He was a little skeptical that these little "nuts" would clean our dirty clothes, sheets, towels, etc. I promised him that they would work. I brought the muslin bag and he tossed it into the washes reluctantly. I will be honest that we did not quite know how to tell if the clothes were clean or not (not that we know with other detergents either), but we have been wearing the clothes for one week and I have not heard of any complaints of being stinky. We realized that when transferring clothes from the washes to the dryer, you have to hunt for the soap nuts bag to make sure you take it out. After using the soap nuts, I hug the bag up to dry. The biggest surprise came when my husband took the clothes out of the dryer.  He said that they felt very soft. Unbelievably soft! I do not think that our towels have ever been so soft!

When comparing using Soap Nuts with using powder/liquid laundry detergent, they are just as easy to use. Yes, you have to hunt for the bag when you transfer the laundry to the dryer, but the fact that the soap nuts leave your clothes softer makes them a winner in my book. I would highly recommend Cleaner Planet Soap Nuts to anyone. My laundry feels clean, smells clean, and is softer. And when I'm all done, I can throw the used soap nuts in the compost. Zero waste!

Disclosure: I received the sample from the company in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. I am under no pressure to return the product to the company or to write this review. This product review is based on my personal experiences. This review is objective and completely honest.

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Reducing Our Trash and Recycle Waste [#CTWW]

This week's challenge comes from Mrs. Green (I just love her blog!):

This week, consider your recycling habits and decide on one more things which you can do to reduce landfill waste.  Let us know what you are doing, and how, so that we can learn and be inspired.

And then, if you would like ...

Visit the (Inter)National Zero Waste Week blog page or the Facebook Page and share your efforts with everyone participating in this year's event (close to 1000 from all over the world).

A quick survey of the trash can and the recycle bin reveal the following items making up the majority of waste. I am also going to call recycled items waste because we are not reusing them and they required energy to be recycled.

Trash Can

• Unrecyclable containers from restaurants (Styrofoam, paper lined with plastic, plastics that cannot be recycled)
• Plastic bags
• Plastic wrapper (packaging)
• Tissues and paper towels

Recycle Bin

• Beer and wine bottles
• Cardboard boxes (from online purchases)
• Junk mail
• Plastic containers from dairy, fruit, etc.
• Glass jars
• Aluminum cans

Once we started recycling, really recycling, and composting, our trash waste reduced dramatically. However, there is always room for improvement. There are so many changes I can make, but I have to take baby steps to reduce the amount of change I introduce at once. Yes, I would love to be able to bring my own take-home glass container to restaurants to take the left over food home, but I could see people (even my own family members) looking at me like I had three heads. I am going to chose one item from the trash can and one item from the recycle bin to either change what I buy, reuse the item, or compost it. 

Trash Can: Tissues
Waste Reduction Plan: Since 98% of the tissues are used for wiping a nose, these can be composted. Obviously, if you are sick and using tissues, you would not want to compost these.

Recycle Bin: Junk Mail
Waste Reduction Plan: Compost junk mail and shredded items. This will add good carbon matter to the produce scraps in the compost bin. I had been saving glass jars for storing items from the bulk bin or spices from my garden, but I ended up with a huge number of jars and no where to store them.

>> What ideas/tips do you have for helping me reduce my waste?
  

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Weekend Gardening

Moved mulch. Removed a huge chunk of the blanket. Dug through insanely hard clay. Planted ferns. Added fresh compost (from my compost pile...yay!). Realized the ferns weren't quite in line. Decided that they would look better not aligned. :)

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How to Become Eco-Friendly at the Office

Whether you work at home or work in an office, there are many changes you can implement to make your office space more eco-friendly. Whether you are a seasoned pro or just started on your eco-friendly path, my five practical tips can quickly get you started. Check out my guest post at My Baby's Green blog. While you are there, take a look around. My Baby's Green offers 100% organic green tips.

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Waste No Food [#CTWW]

This week's challenge comes from Reduced Footprints based on this article. Recent estimates suggest that 40% of the food grown for human consumption is never eaten. This percentage is along the whole supply chain. Households throw away about 14% of food. Take your total food spending and multiply 14%. That is how much money you are throwing in the garbage.

This week, make a conscious effort to waste no food. If you need some ideas on how to accomplish this, please read the article referenced in the previous paragraph.

Or...

If you never, ever waste even a morsel of food ... WOW ... you are a hero. Pat yourself on the back and then sit back and relax in the knowledge that you are doing a great thing for the earth!

A little analysis of our wasteful effort reveals two paths for wasted food. Vegetables and fruits are composted. Cheese and leftovers that have sat in the fridge for 1 week are the main items that are tossed in the trash.  Here is a graphic that show what standard U.S. household usually throw away:

For this week, I am going to make an effort not to throw anything away. Here is my strategy:

1. Freeze leftovers that are not consumed within 2 days.
2. Freeze ingredients that are not used.
3. Create meals around fruits or vegetables that are going soft.
4. Blanch or steam vegetables that are become soft and freeze for later use in soup, stir-fry, or pasta dishes.
5. Plan the menu and buy only what I need. For anything extra, refer to numbers 2, 3, and 4 above.
6. Save left over chicken bones and carcass for making home made chicken stock (freeze the stock for future use).

I usually live by most of my rules, but I need to make a better effort to not throw away food. All of us buy too much food, eat too much food, and throw away too much food. Let's be more aware of what we are buying and eating so that we have zero food waste this week.

Here is a Food Recovery Diagram from the EPA.  The diagram describes what can be done with food scraps.  Food can be a valuable resource.

>> What tips do you have for helping me avoid throwing away food?
 

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America Recycles Day - November 15

Today is...

Almost 6200 people have taken the pledge on their website to recycle. I challenge you to take the pledge! I did!

For America Recycles Day 2011, I pledge to:

Learn. About the recycling options in my community. I will find out what materials are collected for recycling in my community at americarecyclesday.org.

Act. Reduce my personal waste by recycling. Within the next month, I will start to recycle one new type of material.
 

My husband and I began recycling when we realized how much trash we accumulated each week. How could two people produce so much trash?!?

Once we began recycling, our recycle bin had more trash in it than the trashcan. Then we added composting to the mix and we hardly have any trash. This means that we spend less money on trash bags.  Score!

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